When Becca Hannah’s debut album “Tonight In My Dreams“ finally arrived, it felt less like a release date and more like an exhale.
“It feels like I’ve given birth,” she laughs. “Like I was in labor for a year, and I was just waiting for this masterpiece to emerge for everyone.”
That metaphor might sound dramatic, but it fits. The record took shape over years, pulling together songs written across multiple phases of Hannah’s life. Before and after her move from Boston to Los Angeles. Before and after she fully committed to recording with a live band. And before and after she found the collaborators who helped her shape the album into a cohesive story. Now, with the project out in the world, Hannah says she’s finally listening like a fan instead of a producer.
“It’s so refreshing to be able to listen to the music and just bask in it rather than listening for the mix or the master,” she says. “It’s such a freeing accomplishment.”
Building a Story from Years of Songs
Hannah began writing many of the songs that would eventually become “Tonight In My Dreams” as early as 2022, though she held onto them for years. She had a sense that they weren’t ready to be released, even as she continued putting out singles and smaller projects.
“I just kind of had a feeling like, you know, these aren’t meant to be out yet,” she explains. “I think I intuitively knew there was something bigger to come from them.”
That bigger vision came into focus once she and longtime collaborator Tristan Jantz relocated to Los Angeles. Together, they realized they could weave older material and new songs into a conceptual narrative, writing additional tracks to bridge the emotional gaps.
“All of these songs draw from personal experiences of mine and Tristan’s,” she says. “Very personal experiences that we believe everyone can relate to on some level.”
The Power of Collaboration and Vulnerability
Jantz, a Boston native and Berklee-trained guitarist, co-wrote and co-produced much of the album. Hannah credits their dynamic contrast, his technical background and her instinct-driven approach, as one of the project’s defining strengths.
“He knows all these really cool, dissonant jazzy chords and the theory behind it,” she says. “I just kind of go with what feels right. That blend really works.”
Still, writing deeply personal songs with another person in the room requires trust.
“I think it can be vulnerable and scary,” Hannah admits. “But if someone can hold space for your personal reflections, it’s worth it in the end.”
That sense of safety was essential for songs like “Miriam,” the album’s emotional centerpiece.
Writing a Song to a Lost Therapist
“Miriam” is a meditative ode to Hannah’s childhood therapist, who died suddenly when Hannah was 18.
“She felt like an aunt to me,” Hannah recalls. “She watched me grow through so many milestones. I always felt safe and supported by her.”
Years later, during a period of anxiety and existential dread in her early twenties, Hannah found herself thinking about what Miriam might say if she were still alive. The song began as a diary entry to someone who could no longer answer back.
“I just started strumming my guitar and singing out to her,” she says. “It felt like a letter.”
The chorus didn’t come together for another year and a half. When it finally did, the song transformed into something both personal and healing.
“When I sing it, I feel like I can channel her,” Hannah says. “And comfort the little girl in me. Every time I perform it, it’s cathartic.”
From Emotional Depth to Sensory Joy
While “Tonight In My Dreams” often explores grief, anxiety, and longing, Hannah also wanted space for lighter moments. “Caramel,” inspired by the scent of her birthday cake, is one of the record’s most playful tracks.
“That was the first time I wrote from a sensory experience like that,” she says. “It’s such a fun song, and most of my writing is more bittersweet. I think it’s just as important to have something carefree and light.”
Performing the song live, she says, brings out her inner theater kid.
“It gives me this confidence that’s not always there,” she laughs.
Recording Live in a Vintage Time Capsule
One of the defining choices behind “Tonight In My Dreams” was Hannah’s decision to record the album live with a full nine-piece band.
“I consistently perform better when I’m with a live band,” she explains. “There’s a conversation with the instruments that you don’t get when you’re tracking vocals alone.”
That philosophy led her to legendary producer Jim Scott, whose studio Plyrz in Valencia, California feels like a portal to the 1970s.
“His studio is literally like a time machine,” Hannah says. “There are booths for every instrument. It felt like a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
Scott helped Hannah and Jantz distinguish between technical perfection and emotional authenticity.
“He helped us understand what sounds like a record versus what sounds perfect,” she says. “That’s an art form in itself.”
The musicians on the record weren’t anonymous session players but collaborators Hannah had built relationships with through gigs and the LA scene.
“It felt like a conversation musically,” she says. “Everyone was so intentional and tasteful with their choices.”
From Boston Roots to LA Energy
Originally from Boston, Hannah still considers the city home, even after moving west.
“There’s so much history and soul in Boston,” she says. “I miss the seasons. It will forever be home to me.”
But Los Angeles offered a creative immersion she felt she needed.
“The creative energy is everywhere in the air,” she says. “It’s inspiring and challenging. I’ve definitely fallen into comparison traps, but being immersed in that community is really good for growth.”
What Comes Next
With “Tonight In My Dreams” now out, Hannah is already looking ahead. She has an album release show planned in Los Angeles, a mini East Coast tour in the works, and new collaborations and demos waiting in the wings.
“I have a bunch of new songs written already,” she says. “I’m collaborating on an EP, and I’ll sprinkle in some singles. I’m very excited.”
For now, though, she’s savoring the feeling of finally letting the album go. “It’s such a freeing accomplishment,” Hannah says. “Every choice we made led us here.”
Nathan Smith is a Providence-based music photographer and journalist focusing on capturing the special moments and unfiltered magic of live performances. Whether he’s shooting established artists at sold-out TD Garden shows or documenting the rise of emerging local bands, his goal is the same: to pull viewers directly into the heart of the moment.
His writing spotlights rising artists and local scenes, with a focus on telling the stories that often get overlooked. A lifelong music fan and musician himself, Nathan approaches interviews and portraits as conversations rather than transactions, building trust with artists so their genuine personalities can shine through. Whether he’s backstage, in the photo pit, or at home in front of the keyboard, he brings the same curiosity and care to every assignment.
Outside of his press work with Juice Box Press, Nathan works regularly as a photographer with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, as well as numerous bands in the Boston and Providence area. Nathan also plays violin with a local orchestra, follows Celtics basketball almost religiously, and is an avid fantasy reader.